Phil Ivey has been labeled as the greatest poker player on the globe by many of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to New Jersey before reaching turning 1. His papa taught Phil one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to discover anything he possibly could about the game. He would tell his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He didn’t let the adverse feedback from others annihilate his ambition of becoming one of the best poker players in the world.
Phil started competing intently after acquiring a false ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his game at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The first number of years for him were a teaching experience and coming away with a win wasn’t a regular thing at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 WSOP when he made 2 final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the final table he defeated quite a few of the well known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He made a decision to take his game to the successive level and headed out west to Sin City. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his achievements to discipline and a continuing passion for poker. He says that he is learning every day and is quite humble about his success. He knows he makes errors every single game of poker and always aspires to get better.
Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some big-time tournaments, he prefers destroying cash games on a regular basis.
